St. John Pied de Port is a quaint little village set in the foothills of the Pyrenees on the French side of the border with Spain. Translated literally as “St. John at the foot of the mountain pass,” the village offers daily train service running up from the city of Bayonne in southwestern France. It’s also the starting point for Camino Frances, the most popular option for traveling the Camino de Santiago - and it is where Michael Guarino, from Brooksville Florida, and his daughter Brittany set off on a 500-mile journey along the Camino.

The Camino de Santiago - in English, The Way of St. James - describes one of many passages in Europe that ultimately leads to the grand Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of James, one of Jesus Christ’s original twelve apostles, are buried.

Since the remains of the apostle were discovered in the ninth century, millions of people – dubbed pilgrims - have made the journey along the Camino. Today, they continue to come – since 2004, an average of over 150,000 pilgrims each year have walked the Camino.

Brittany Guarino began her pilgrimage the day she turned three.

By her father’s account, his daughter had a very typical first three years. She was developing, both physically and intellectually, at a rate very comparable to her peers. But that all changed the day she went for her three-year old checkup.

“She got her shots and started running a very high fever,” Michael Guarino told me over the phone. “Then her language just started to deteriorate. Within a span of six months, my daughter went from having over 300 words in her language, to nothing. She became completely non-verbal. Her doctors didn’t believe me when I told them how her language just disappeared. I had to show them video to prove she used to talk.”

The family turned every stone looking for answers. They flew to UCLA to see the best doctors. They brought specialists from all over the country to Florida. Brittany was ultimately diagnosed with severe autism and, today, she still communicates only through gestures and sounds.

“Autistic kids are a little bit different,” Guarino said. “But when things are put into a routine for them, there really isn’t anything they can’t do. My daughter cares for two rescue ponies and she works full-time. She lives a full life. She just has difficulty communicating.”

Early last year, the family had gathered to watch Emilio Estevez’s 2010 movie “The Way,” a film depicting a grieving father’s journey along the Camino, and a brilliant light flashed.

“My sister said ‘Brittany could do that!’” Guarino said. “And the more I thought about it, the more I started to like the idea. I thought it would be a great way to raise awareness of autism and to show what autistic kids are capable of.”

Page 2 of 2 - Brittany started training with her aunt. They walked over 300 miles in the heat of the Florida summer as preparation for the arduous and grueling trek up and over the Pyrenees Mountains. And when the day came to start their journey, Brittany Guarino was ready.

“I couldn’t keep up with them,” Guarino said. “I was holding her back. I knew I had to let my girl go.”

Here’s the thing: Pilgrims have been hiking the Camino for over 1,100 years. People representing all nations and faiths and backgrounds. People looking for physical strength and emotional support and spiritual guidance. For every walker, there is a reason.

For Michael Guarino, that reason was simple.

“My daughter won’t sin in this world,” Guarino said. “And when you think of her life in those terms, that makes her an angel of sorts. And how could I possibly pass up the opportunity to walk so many miles alongside an angel.”

Michael and Brittany Guarino will enter the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in early October. According to Catholic tradition, upon completion of this journey, your sins are forgiven.